We are pleased to announce our venue will be at Jigsaw Renaissance, located at 1026 Madison Avenue in Seattle’s First Hill. Jigsaw is our first sponsor, and is opening up its doors for free to CyborgCamp.

A gorgeous space just now being settled into by the group, it has high ceilings, huge windows, and will comfortably seat CyborgCamp attendees. While parking is sparse, it is free on Sundays and there are parking lots nearby. Within blocks you can find a convenience store, Sugar Bakery, The Hideout, pho, The Corner Cafe, and many other venues.

Presentation, Discussion and Analysis: The Field of Cyborg Anthropology

Cyborg Anthropology is the study of the interaction between humans and computers, and how the capabilities of our bodies are extended externally and uploaded into hypertext. We are all Cyborgs. Increasingly, we are purchasing and discarding extensions to our selves. We’re also becoming an interface culture. How we interact with machines and technology in many ways defines who we are. Cyborg Anthropology is a lens with which to understand what’s happening to us in a world mediated by dynamic objects, processes and change.

The shape of a site’s architecture makes people move, and the flow of people shapes how a site transforms over time. Profiles and avatars allow users to represent themselves asynchronously—that is, they are another extension of connection and etiquette that can be optimized or used poorly. These extensions of presence allow people to be accessed when they aren’t even there. Each of us is becoming a celebrity cyborg; a famous machine.

This session will be part presentation, part discussion, and part analysis. Comments, deconstructionist thoughts and debates are welcomed. Help be a part of a new and evolving field of study.

Hailing from PDX, Case is the founder of CyborgCamp, and has spoken at Ignite, MIT, Gnomedex, and many other events. You can find her at caseorganic.com. We’re thrilled to have her!